July 9. 2008 by Keegan Hall.

I’ve been in Romania for nearly two weeks now and I think I’m slowly beginning to blend in with the locals. Of course I still receive a mirage of stares as I walk down the street because of my over-sized basketball shorts and pristine Nike’s, but I’m making small strides towards becoming a Bistrian (I made this name up to refer to the citizens of Bistra, Romania).

To prove my Bistrian-ness I hitch-hiked from Bistra to Cimpeni today. I held out my “please give me a ride” thumb and snagged the third car that passed. We hopped into the beat-up, barely running car and greeted the 60+ year old man.

The ride wasn’t too long, maybe 10 minutes total, but the man smoked cigarettes the entire time. A lot! As he finished one then another cigarette would instantly appear. And, oh, did I mentioned he kept all the windows rolled up for the duration of our magical ride? I’m sure you can image how great of an experience this was for a non-smoker like myself but hey, beggars can’t be choosers, right?

A few of the things I’ve done so far:

1. Drink beer. Everyday. At every meal. For no apparent reason. This is the “norm” in Romania…

2. Been chased by a stray dog while running (yes, I’m still running for “fun”)

3. Scored a goal in a soccer match against a group of locals

4. Nearly been in a car accident almost every time we drive (seriously… literally EVERY time I get in a car here I almost die).

5. Ate cow stomach soup. It was pretty good. Looks and sounds disgusting but is actually eatable.

6. Saw a horse galloping recklessly down the street with a trailer attached to him. There was NO driver. The horse was just running…with a trailer…down the street…alone…

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June 27. 2008 by Keegan Hall.

Finally- after three flights and two car rides we finally arrived in the microscopic town of Bistra, Romania. The 20+ hours of traveling have definitely taken its toll on me. Add the fact that my 6-month old daughter accompanied us on this trip and I’m sure you can see how I achieved a new PR in personal exhaustion. Needless to say it’s difficult to keep a baby occupied for 20 minutes let alone 20+ hours. I certainly don’t think we made any new friends on the plane. I never knew my daughter could cry so loud…

The entire family greeted us when we arrived at the house- after all it has been three years since our last visit. Although I was extremely tired I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to enjoy the most common Romanian tradition: drinking alcohol (even if I wanted to pass on the drinking my wife’s father wouldn’t allow it- he is the personification of peer pressure on steroids). After a few shots of an unknown type of alcohol (the majority of their alcohol is homemade) we feasted on a delicious dinner of stuffed red peppers.

The time was nearly midnight before we retired to our bedroom. The long and excruciating journey was finally over. We made it. It’s great to be back and I look forward to two months of taking in an amazing culture. Stay tuned…

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May 3. 2008 by Keegan Hall.

My wife and I have decided to take a little European vacation. When I say “a little” vacation I actually mean a two-and-half month long vacation. The extended break will be thoroughly welcomed although I anticipate our trip will not be all fun and games (well, maybe it will…). We are actually planning a wedding that will take place in late June in Romania. The wedding will be a “traditional” Romanian wedding although I cannot tell you what that really means. I have never attended a traditional Romanian wedding so the anticipation of what will take place is extremely exciting. I think the biggest shock will be the 300+ guests that are planning to attend and I will likely be the only American present (ie the only English-as-a-first-language person) so that should make for some interesting conversations…or not…

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February 15. 2008 by Keegan Hall.

This past Monday and Tuesday I was in Chicago for business meetings. Although the vast majority of my trip consisted of sit-downs with the largest advertising agencies in America, I did carve out some time to sample some of the most famous pizza in the world- Chicago style!

Two days, two pizza restaurants. I couldn’t get enough! The two world famous pizza parlor that I visited were Giordano’s and Pizzeria Uno. Although both were mouth-wateringly delicious, there was definitely a clear winner: Giordano’s.

If you ever have plans to visit downtown Chicago then you must visit Giordano’s. You can thank me later.

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February 5. 2008 by Keegan Hall.

Traveling has always been a passion of mine. While in college, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to live in Italy for over three months. During this time I enjoyed many adventures and accumulated numerous unforgettable experiences- many were certainly not accessible to the common tourist.

My apartment was located in Rome but I traveled extensively throughout the entire country. I became intimately knowledgeable about the city of Rome due to befriending a few Romans early into my adventure. They took me under their wing and personally guided me through the Eternal City while introducing me to sights and sounds that only locals would know.

Socializing is the glue of the Roman society so it’s no wonder that many evenings were spent out on the town amongst friends. One such night we ventured to a “hidden” nightclub. After navigating through a series of alleyways near the Campo de Fiori in downtown Rome we finally came to a single door. There were no markings to indicate this building was a club- or anything for that matter. At first glance it appeared to be an abandoned building. As I stood in the background, my Roman friends approach the door and knocked. Within a few seconds the door opened and we entered.

Wow! I couldn’t believe my eyes. Before me was a seemingly endless sea of people. Everyone was dancing, drinking and having the time of their lives. Describing this marvelous evening would simply take took long. Needless to say, we had an incredible night. This was certainly not a place that was accessible to tourists.

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